HOME COOKING; HICKS ENDS AND STARTS HIS CAREER IN TEXAS.

Byline: Jon Wilner Daily News Staff Writer

While his teammates bemoaned the Bowl Alliance snub, UCLA tailback Skip Hicks celebrated quietly. Sure, a Sugar Bowl date in New Orleans would have been great, but Hicks had no complaints with the alternative - the Cotton Bowl, in Dallas, a few hours from his hometown.

Hicks grew up in Wichita Falls, Texas, a farm town of 11,000 on the Oklahoma border. He'll have at least 50 friends and relatives at the Cotton Bowl to watch UCLA play Texas A&M, and those who don't make the three-hour drive will watch Hicks on television.

``I think the game is selling out in Wichita Falls,'' he said, jokingly. ``The chance to end my career in Texas, and play in front of my family, is just a perfect ending.''

For Hicks, the Cotton Bowl is both the end and the beginning - the end of his college career, the beginning of his NFL life.

In three weeks, he'll play in the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. Then it's individual workouts for NFL teams and the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis and picking an agent and earning his degree.

``For me and the other seniors, the Cotton Bowl really is the beginning of it all,'' he said. ``But I'm looking forward to it. I've never been through any of it before, so I don't know what to expect. That's kind of exciting.''

One NFL scout said Hicks will go late in the second round or early in the third, but that could change depending on his speed. He ran a 4.43-second 40-yard dash nine months ago and wants to duplicate that time for NFL scouts.

Toughness is the other concern. Hicks is so easy going - his Wichita Falls roots at work - some wonder if he'll be effective on the next level. At 230 pounds, he can overpower college defenders, but NFL athletes are another matter.

``Toughness is very important,'' Bruins offensive coordinator Al Borges said. ``You want to know a runner can hold up over a 16-20 game (NFL) schedule. But Skip has done everything we've asked of him. He's a great kid. A lot of kids with that soft-spoken approach have done well in the NFL. The best example is Barry Sanders.''

The Sanders comparison is particularly valid. He attended Oklahoma State, which was Hicks' first choice during his senior season at Burkburnett High, a few miles north of Wichita Falls. But the Cowboys were wary of Hicks' gliding style, which makes it seem like he's not running hard, and backed off their scholarship offer.

Hicks had little interest in the Texas schools, since the Southwest Conference was fighting NCAA probation at the time. So he turned westward, to USC and UCLA. The Trojans were recruiting numerous tailbacks (or potential tailbacks) that season, and Hicks finally decided on UCLA.

``USC was recruiting Saladin McCullough, Sammy Knight and a bunch of other guys. UCLA was just recruiting me,'' he said. ``Also, I had a good opportunity to contribute as a freshman.''

The ensuing five years in Westwood included multiple knee injuries, 3,000 yards rushing, 54 touchdowns (a Pac-10 record) and 14 100-yard games - impressive numbers all. But still, the question lingers: Is he tough enough to survive an NFL schedule? Removing himself from the final seconds against Washington State in the Bruins' opening game fueled the doubts.

``The consistency of toughness is a concern,'' Borges said. ``Look at him when he's not banged up and his legs are fresh. No one ever says he's not tough then. But when he's banged up and tired, that's when you hear about the toughness.''

Hicks was healthy down the stretch, and ran like it. He finished with four consecutive 100-yard games, which, he hopes, will place him in the pantheon of great UCLA tailbacks, such as Theotis Brown, Wendell Tyler, Gaston Green, Eric Ball and Karim Abdul-Jabbar. Twenty-five touchdowns and 1,142 yards later, Hicks was a first-team all-Pac-10 pick and a second-team Associated Press All-American. Maybe, just maybe, he erased rumblings about his toughness.

``The key with Skip this season is I've seen him become mentally tougher,'' coach Bob Toledo said. ``I've had many talks with him about that, about what he had to do. He realized the shortcomings he had to improve on.''

And now the end collides with the beginning as Hicks' career comes full circle - from Wichita Falls to Dallas by way of L.A. He never accepted Southern California with open arms, never felt completely comfortable with the pace and the people. Perhaps that explains the joy he felt when the Sugar Bowl passed on UCLA and Cotton became reality.

Skip Hicks is home.

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PHOTO (Color) Although he's rushed for 14 100-yard games in his career, UCLA tailback Skip Hicks has had to answer critics about his toughness.

Myung J. Chun / Daily News